The Blue Hippo Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) is the iconic fish that became incredibly popular after the release of Finding Nemo. It is commonly seen with a deep blue and black coloration throughout its body and sporting a yellow tail. The Yellow Belly Regal Blue Tang is a variant of the Blue Hippo Tang. As the name suggests, this variant has a yellow belly, instead of the typical blue. Both variants will grow to about a foot long at their max size. They have incredible personalities and will spend their day interacting with rockwork and swimming in the open water. This guide will discuss the Blue Hippo Tang’s aquarium requirements, dietary requirements, compatible tank mates, and more.
Aquarium Requirements
The Blue Hippo Tang should be kept in a fish tank that is at least 180 gallons when fully grown. Tangs love to swim so it is important to provide a fair amount of open swimming space so it can do so. Blue Hippo Tangs will also benefit from rockwork in the aquarium, where they can take refuge. Algae may also grow on the live rock, which your tang might graze on.
Are Blue Hippo Tangs Reef Safe?
Tangs are generally considered reef-safe. They will not bother the invertebrates, such as crabs, shrimp, and snails that inhabit your aquarium. Although it’s not very common, there are rare occasions when tangs get a taste for coral. I have personally had a Blue Hippo Tang get a craving for a specific species of zoanthid in my reef tank. It munched on a good piece of the colony, but eventually lost interest and stopped bothering the coral. Some reef keepers emphasize keeping your tangs well fed, with a well-rounded diet to help prevent them from looking for coral for a meal.
Tangs are sensitive
Many people speculate that tangs have very small scales, a thin slim coat, or scales shaped in a way that makes them prone to diseases such as flukes, hole in the head, and HLLE. Keep a watchful eye for symptoms.
Water Parameters
Keeping water parameters in check is very important to keep your fish happy. Stability in water parameters is one of the key components of having a successful aquarium. For Blue Hippo Tangs, you’ll want to keep the temperature between 72 – 78°F (22.2 – 25.6°C). I usually keep saltwater aquarium temperatures between 76° and 78°F. The dKH of the fish tank should range between 8 and 12. Your pH levels should naturally fall between 8.1 and 8.4, due to the marine salt in the fish tank. Lastly, your salinity levels should fall between 1.020 and 1.024 sg.
Food & Diet
Like other tangs, Blue Hippo Tangs are herbivorous. They will require an algae-heavy diet to keep them successful. The bulk of their diet will consist of nori sheets/algae sheets. Feeding regiments differ, but you’ll probably want to feed them algae sheets at least every other day. On days algae are not fed, I recommend providing them with a different food source. On these days I recommend feeding them pellet food, flake food, or frozen meat foods. They’re primarily herbivorous but they will gladly accept a protein-rich meal to round out their diet.
Tank Mates
Most tangs do not bother different species of fish. They should generally do well with a wide range of fish ranging from small Chromis and Clownfish to larger fish like Angelfish and Triggerfish. Problems can arise when introducing multiple species of tangs into the fish tank. You might see quite a bit of territorial disputes between different tangs. Be cautious when adding more tangs into the aquarium, and I do not recommend adding more than one Blue Hippo Tang into the same fish tank. You’ll likely see more aggression to fish that are similarly shaped, compared to others that are not. Verify you have a large enough aquarium for more than one tang, and guarantee enough hiding spaces are provided.
Breeding
I do not recommend keeping more than one Blue Hippo Tang in an aquarium, so it’s impossible to breed this species of fish at home.
Final Notes
Blue Hippo Tangs are wonderful fish to keep. They come with an assortment of personalities. Some are more active than others but they’re all a blast to have in an aquarium. They grow to be pretty big, and it’s important to have an appropriately sized fish tank for them. If you’re looking for a fish with great coloration, that’s fun to keep and is often swimming about, consider getting a Blue Hippo Tang.
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